Ship propulsion



Dec. 24, 1946. CO 2,413,173

SHIP PROPULSION Filed June 30, 1945 v I 'lNVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec.24, 1946 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE SHIP PROPULSION Romeo Cote,Providence, R. I.

' Application June 30, 1945, Serial No. 602,529 5 Claims. (Cl. 115-49)My present invention relates to boats, and more particularly to a. noveltype of ship propulsion.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a means ofship propulsion which will not be dependent on a single, central sourceof power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means of shippropulsion which will produce a considerable saving of power over theconventional screw propeller.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means of shippropulsion which is easier and more economical to manufacture andinstall than the conventional screw propeller.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a, ship propulsionsystem which can readily be adjusted or repaired without interferingwith the progress of the ship.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, myinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts, more fully describedhereinafter, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, and moreparticularly claimed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partially diagrammatic, of a ship equipped withthe propulsion system of the present invention;

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of one of the propulsion units;

Fig. 3 is a rear edge view of the same; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, half of the casing being removed.

The conventional screw propeller ship propulsion is accompanied bycertain recognized disadvantages which the art has been unable toovercome. The screw is driven by a single large power plant which takesup valuable cargo space and makes the ship highly vulnerable in a singlespot. A disabled engine in time of war or peace means a crippled shipbrought to a dead stop. Repairs are usually difficult at sea.Furthermore. the initial installation is slow and costly, the setting ofthe main shaft requiring the highest degree of accuracy. The screwpropeller requires more power than its predecessor, the paddle wheel,because it does not drive as directly. The old side wheel steamersdeveloped unusual speed with relatively small power.

The present invention is designed to eliminate the aforementioneddisadvantages by utilizing the principle of the paddle wheel in a noveltype of ship propulsion system.

Referring more in detail to the drawing illustrating my invention, theship l (Fig. 1) i pro- 2 vided with a plurality of paddle wheel drivingunits ll, preferably arranged in tandem as shown. Each pair of units isindependently driven by any suitable conventional power means l2 (dottedlines) such as steam, Diesel, gasoline, or electric, the source of powerbeing immaterial.

Each driving unit I l comprises an integral onepiece housing l3 ofgenerally inverted U-shape (Figs. 2 and 4) with flattened sides l4, astraight front end l5, and angularly disposed rear end 16. The sides Mare provided with vertical slots I! (Fig. 4) oppositely disposed. Thepaddle wheel I8, housed in the housing [3, is mounted on a shaft l9 ofsufilcient length to extend through the slots l1. Thus the shaft !9 andpaddle wheel It! may be moved vertically in the slots I! to raise orlower the paddle wheel H! as desired. To seal the housing l3, the shaftI9 passes through doors 20 which are slidably mounted in channels 2|(Fig. 2) to cover the slots I! in any position of the shaft.

The shaft and paddle wheel are adjustably retained in position byjournaling the shaft IS in bearings or collars 22 conventionally packedto seal the housing. Threaded rods 23 are rotatably mounted in thecollars 22 and extend upwardly through threaded openings in tabs 24extending laterally from the upper side portions of the casing (Fig. 3).The top of the rods 23 are squared,

as at 25, so that turning movement of the rods by means of a wrench orsimilar tool will raise or lower the shaft. The shaft I 9 is connectedto the power means l2 through a, universal joint 26 (Fig. 3).

In installing or operating the unit I I, the bottom of the ship I0 isprovided with an opening 21. The opening 27 may be sealed by a door 28which is slidable horizontally as by means of the gear and crankarrangement 29 (Fig. 3); The unit II is bolted to the deck over theopening, the housing l3 having a sealed cut-out portion permittedmovement of the door 28. After the door is withdrawn, the rods 23 areturned until the paddle Wheel 1-8 is suificiently immersed in the Waterto drive the ship. To prevent the water from rising too high in thehousing l3, the air in the housing may be maintained at a pressure ofapproximately four pounds by any conventional compressing means (notshown) and fed to the housing l3 through the connection 30.

The advantages of the above described construction are obvious, If anyparticular unit is disabled, it can be raised and repaired withoutcutting off the other power units or stopping the ship. Furthermore, theunits are simple in construction, easy to install, economical tooperate, and save considerable cargo space. It should be further notedthat in a heavy sea, the conventional screw drive is often lifted clearof the water thus wasting its power. By the system of the presentinvention, some units of the system will always be immersed and drivingin any position of the ship.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of myinvention, it is obvious that changes may readily be made in the size,shape, and relative arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Iclaimz 1. A device for propelling ships comprising a housing having anopen bottom and positioned over an opening in the bottom of a ship, ashaft mounted in said housing and extending through the sides thereof, apaddle wheel in said housing mounted on said shaft, means for verticallyadjusting the height of said shaft and paddle Wheel in said housing,means for closing the opening in the bottom of the ship when the shaftand paddle wheel are in raised postion, and power means for rotatingsaid shaft and paddle wheel.

2. A device for propellin ships comprising a housing having an openbottom and positioned over an opening in the bottom of a ship, a shaftmounted in said housing and extending through the sides thereof, apaddle Wheel in said housing mounted on said shaft, means for verticallyadjusting the height of said shaft and paddle wheel in said housing,means for supplying air under pressure into said housing and power meansfor rotating said shaft and paddle wheel.

3. A device for propelling ships comprising a housing having an openbottom and positioned over an opening in the bottom of a ship, a shaft 44 mounted in said housing and extending through the sides thereof, apaddle wheel in said housing mounted on said shaft, means for verticallyadjusting the height of said shaft and paddle wheel in said housing,means for closing the opening in the bottom of the ship when the shaftand paddle wheel are in raised position, means for supplying air underpressure into said housing, and power means for rotating said shaft andpaddle wheel.

4. A device for propelling ships comprising a housing having an openbottom and positioned over an opening in the bottom of a ship, saidhousing having vertically disposed slots in opposite sides thereof, acover slidably mounted on each side and adapted to seal said slots, ashaft in said housing extending through said slots and cover, the endsof said shaft being journalled in vertically adjustable bearings, apaddle wheel in said housing mounted on said shaft, means for closingthe opening in the ship when said shaft and paddle wheel are in raisedposition, and power means for rotating said shaft.

5. A device for propelling ships comprising a housing having an openbottom and positioned over an openin in the bottom of a ship, saidhousing having vertically disposed slots in opposite sides thereof, acover slidably mounted on each side and adapted to seal said slots, ashaft 30 iii ROMEO COTE.

